Builds "Scout" the 1977 FJ40

[77CruiserDog]

We packed up the Land Cruiser and our dog Olive won't get out. HA!

I'm still having intermittent starter issues with that new gear reduction starter I picked up from Cruiser Corps. I'll reach out to them when we get back. I packed the old starter just in case this one completely poops the bed.

Then I drove it down to pick up some amazing nachos for dinner at the best Mexican restaurant in Bothell, Julio's Mexican Restaurant. (If you think otherwise, you're just plain wrong.) I noticed there was a younger sibling looking at it's older brother like, "I've got your back bro."

Thanks for the well wishes on the trip you guys.

 

[reddog90]

Looking forward to the road trip recap.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Trip Recap:

- 608 miles driven
- 1 part failure
- 3 Cruiser issues I'd like to try and remedy
- 1 unexpected rad concert
- 1 double rainbow
- Tons of fuel (worth it)
- Tons of wine (worth it)
- Tons of food (also worth it)
- Lots of great pictures

Starting off with Day 1 - Friday - The drive from Bothell to Walla Walla

We left relatively early in the morning the sun was out and it was beautiful. The engine started perfectly with the first turn of the key, which surprised me because for the past week I've been chasing a starter gremlin. I packed the old starter in the rig the night before knowing there could be a use for it along the drive.

We started out going through Duvall, Carnation and Preston to get to I-90 rather than fight the commuter traffic through Kirkland and Bellevue. Wise choice. Before we went 2 miles we were already listening to 70's rock with the sun shining and the Cruiser running smoothly.

Once in Preston, we headed East on I-90 and experienced the effects of wind resistance on the brick we were trying to push at 60 miles an hour. Heading up the pass we were able to draft off some big rigs, which helped a bit, but we were plagued by our lack of aerodynamics, low power, heavy vehicle and a slight overheating issue.... not even sure I should call it overheating, more so just close to hot. On the factory gauge there are 4 hash marks, when pushing it, we'd see the needle go to the 3/4 mark. The temps outside were really cool (40's) so I'm somewhat curious what you guys make of this. Is that normal? What do you see in your rigs?

We pulled over at the very top to let the dog out in the snow and snap a picture. Honestly, I was pretty relieved to make it up the pass, not having pushed this thing very hard before. All was well with the exception of some slightly hot engine temps. I'd love any recommendations you have. New radiator, fan clutch and coolant. Old water pump and thermostat.

Here we are triumphantly at the top of Snoqualime Pass -

We cruised over to get some fuel (the first of many fuel stops) and when I went to restart the engine, the gear reduction starter failed again. Lots of tries later, it started up and we drove on with a full belly of fuel and zero worries.

We continued on I-90 until Ellensburg and took a beautiful detour down the Yakima River Canyon Road, which is a wonderful drive. We happened across an old fuel station so I pulled in and snapped this pic.

Then we cruised through the picturesque canyon until we found this little spot along the river to get a pic and let the dog out.

Shortly after this, we headed in to Yakima for some of these....

And some more of this...

Each time we needed to stop we crossed our fingers that the starter would cooperate after a few tries. Each time it did but it was taking more and more key turns each time. Not all that excited to swap out the starter with the used one I brought along until I was able to do it in my own condition requirements. this included dry, flat concrete without anyone there to come up and offer advise and a spot to clean up afterwards. I was fairly certain the hotel parking lot would be the place.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Day 1 - We've arrived!

We stopped off at Basel Cellars just outside of Walla Walla for our first wine and to let the dog out. It was blustery but still sunny and the wine was fantastic and they even let our pup come in.

Then we headed to the hotel and I decided that after many, many failed starts, I'd finally get that gear reduction starter yarded out. It took 8 minutes... I didn't count getting the tools out and ready. It was like a NASCAR pit stop. Luckily it was only sprinkling.

After that, we cleaned up and headed to meet some friends for a concert at a winery just outside of town. The music was wonderful and I even had an unobstructed view of our rig the entire time.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Then out of nowhere, the concert stopped and everyone ran outside to get some pics of the double rainbow. It was pretty faint but still really awesome.

Gratuitous picture of Scout

After the concert we grabbed some kick a$$ dinner with our friends Curt and Lisa who invited us to the concert and would be our tour guides for the length of the trip. They're rad!

After dinner and a number of drinks, this happened back at the hotel...

She's plenty freaked out because she knows she's doing something wrong. Her mom is walking away and wants nothing to do with it. HA!

 

[77CruiserDog]

Day two - Yoga the wine out of our system

I woke up early on the second day and wanted to check a few things on Scout before we headed out for the day. After replacing the starter with the original, it started every time. Kind of a nice thing.

I noticed this bad a$$ dude in our parking lot....

Also, a nice byproduct of the relatively compact design of the FJ40 is that even when someone parks like a jack hole, you can still fit.... in fact you might be the only one besides a Smart Car that could fit! So thanks Jack Hole, for saving me a spot.

As the title indicates, we started the day off doing some yoga with our friends Curt and Lisa. It was a fantastic way to get ready for another day of wine tasting. Considerably more hung over than I'd like, we hop in the rig and head a few blocks to downtown around 11:00am to Mark Ryan Winery to do a tasting but more importantly.... eat TACOS!

It was all you could eat, I pounded 7 of these pork filled babies, and tasted some really great vino while I was at it. Curt matched me at 7. Megan and Lisa tied at 4... guess who get's hungry first??

Next we swung over to Gifford Hirlinger winery to taste some wine. The interesting piece (besides the beautifully simple tasting room) is that Mike doesn't charge for wine tastings, he instead asks you to donate money in this big container which goes to the local food bank. Mike runs his place like a finely tuned machine.... it's not hard to see how is background in finance helps his wines to reach perfection each year.

Lisa had been eager to get a chance behind the wheel of Scout since she first laid eyes on it the night before, so she drove me to the next place, Brook & Bull where they donate 100% of their proceeds to the local farm workers health care facility. Walla Walla is a very large agricultural region, wine grapes, apples, onions and a myriad of other crops surround the town. The farm workers are sometimes hard pressed for extra income for basic medical treatments, like teeth cleanings and much more.

Lisa drove very well, almost as if she'd driven a land cruiser before. After we tasted and learned so much about soil management we headed back to town and saw this....

I had to snap a pic with Scout's family!

 

[77CruiserDog]

Cruiser tech issue #2

On the way back to town, I reached back and noticed the rear heater was very hot. I then felt down to the front heater core and noticed it was screaming hot too. The heat knob was pushed all the way in (off position). So I ordered a new heat control valve hoping that is what's causing the coolant to continue flowing through both heater cores. The current one is very likely the original and looks the part.
Here is my question - When you push your heat control knob all the way in (off position) in your FJ40, do you continue to get a constant flow of hot coolant through your heater cores?

 

[1911]

Here is my question - When you push your heat control knob all the way in (off position) in your FJ40, do you continue to get a constant flow of hot coolant through your heater cores?

Yes; EternaHeat was standard equipment on 40's. The solution is to add an ordinary ball valve in the heater hose, before the stock heat control valve, which never seems to completely block the flow of hot radiator fluid.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Yes; EternaHeat was standard equipment on 40's. The solution is to add an ordinary ball valve in the heater hose, before the stock heat control valve, which never seems to completely block the flow of hot radiator fluid.

Thanks, good to know 1911!! Perhaps I'll pick up a ball valve and install it so I can completely turn off the heat in the Summer time. I'm guessing I'd install it near the current heater valve on the heater hose originating from the lower radiator hose, correct?

 

[77CruiserDog]

Going back to my 1st of the 3 issues we ran in to on our trip... slight over heating. I have more information to share that may be relevant. I noticed I have a vacuum leak around the intake manifold gasket a few weeks ago. When I spray carb cleaner in that area, the idle smooths out and the RPMs go up a tad. Would a leaking intake/exhaust manifold gasket or a cracked intake manifold cause over heating like we experienced?

Would the header from SOR (which appears to be the best quality of the ones now available) help that since the intake isn't getting baked by exhaust the whole time? Will the header give me any noticeable power improvements over the stock manifold?

I believe my flapper valve in the exhaust manifold is non operational as there is welding evident in the two large holes where the flapper pivots.

I purchased a Felpro IN/EX gasket a week ago, knowing I'd need to start by removing the manifolds. Let the fun begin! Have you seen my torch and penetrating oil?

 

[TCEd]

You have a career as a body double for Chris Draper, retired Red Wing.

 

[77CruiserDog]

View attachment 1947905
You have a career as a body double for Chris Draper, retired Red Wing.

HA! Damn that's one good looking dude!! It's like I'm looking in a tiny little mirror.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Tech issue #3 -

On the way to Walla Walla, we ended up in a construction zone where we needed to stop for a while, which was nice because the temp needle was doing it's best to sneak past and hide that 3/4 hot hash mark on the gauge. I noticed my brake warning light on the lower left of the dash was flickering and sometimes staying on as I applied the brakes. Brake fluid level was fine so we continued to motor. When we got home last night, I ordered a new master cylinder with the two sensors in it from CityRacer along with all 4 wheel cylinders for the rear brakes as they're all about as crusty as can be. I'll start there but I suspect the master was causing the brake light issue because the electrical sensor at the front of the master cylinder was slightly wet with brake fluid.

Road trips in the Land Cruiser are fun! An excuse to put more parts on this awesome thing!

 

[1911]

Thanks, good to know 1911!! Perhaps I'll pick up a ball valve and install it so I can completely turn off the heat in the Summer time. I'm guessing I'd install it near the current heater valve on the heater hose originating from the lower radiator hose, correct?

I've seen them put in either heater hose; the one on the passenger side of the engine, or the one that comes from the stock heater valve and goes between the rear of the valve cover and the firewall. As long as you block off the flow path for the radiator fluid, it doesn't otherwise matter.

 

[imyahucklbrry]

Yes; EternaHeat was standard equipment on 40's. The solution is to add an ordinary ball valve in the heater hose, before the stock heat control valve, which never seems to completely block the flow of hot radiator fluid.

I’ve had to use pliers to push the heater valve closed off as completely as possible... spraying the valve liberally with WD40 helps as well!
I’ll likely replace the stock as well as add a ball valve soon....

 

[reddog90]

Do you guys have any links on how/where to add this ball valve? I'm not sure I'm following you guys.

 

[cruiserkev]

I just did the ball valve modification over the weekend. I put mine near cyl #6 and confirmed it stops the heated coolant from entering the cab.

 

[77CruiserDog]

Okay, last road trip recap post.... Day 2 and 3

We finished up the wine tasting with Charles Smith, which was really fun!!

headed to dinner at a really cool French place in Walla Walla, the food was amazing and because we got a seat by the window I was able to keep an eye on on Scout. Lots of people walked by and we counted 5 or 6 who took pictures. I think it's just cool to see one of these vehicles when everyone else drives an egg shaped clonemobile.

The drive home was rather uneventful. I did experiment with tire pressure to see if I could help it roll a bit easier and thus keep the temps down... no such luck. I ran 33psi vs the 28psi I drove over here with and it didn't change it at all. I'm a bit baffled by this as the outside temps were very mild... if it had been hot outside I would worry that we would have really over heated.

I learned a lot on this road trip about Scout. How to listen to it, what to expect and how to drive it but also much more than that. My wife and I really enjoyed the experience of driving an older vehicle in a world where everything is so instantaneous and fast.... we slowed down listened to music and greatly enjoyed the trip. Sure it was bumpy and sure it was slower, but I wouldn't have done it any differently. My wife even said it may have been more enjoyable than in one of our new cars because I was less focused on being in a hurry to get where we were going and more focused on the drive.

Scout is now an adventure badge wearing family member of ours and we can't wait for our next one!

Cheers,
Adam

 

[77CruiserDog]

Today I replaced the water pump and thermostat along with the applicable gaskets. I found some interesting things in the process that may have led to my minor overheating issues.

First, I separated the thermostat housing and noticed the t-stat gasket was under the t-stat which is not how it's supposed to be. Then I took a closer look at the t-stat itself and I noticed it's bent/broken and not OEM, also there are little pebble like things in between where it is broken.

I tested whether this thing opens properly at 180 degrees and surprisingly it does. Just not evenly as the picture below shows. It kind of opens sideways, which could cause a coolant flow blockage. Notice how the copper center is, well... off center.

Then I took a look at the block and noticed that the lower thermostat housing was attached using a gasket with a smaller opening than the hole in the head and smaller than the OEM one I'm replacing it with. I don't have a good picture other than the dirty vs clean pictures below, but I think it's evident. Add to that... the person who put the thermostat in, clearly had a deep love for black RTV silicone because he used about half a tube on between the t-stat, lower housing and water pump.

I matched the OEM lower thermostat gasket up with the hole in the head and it matches up perfectly with no overlap like the old one had. These two things along with the fact that the thermostat and the water pump were not original could have contributed to my heat issue.... I guess only time will tell.

Here's a mostly done picture. I'm waiting for some items to dry before I bolt it all back together.

 

[77CruiserDog]

After I buttoned it up last night, I took it for a spin. It was only a few miles, so I really wasn't able to tell if the mild overheating issue is fixed, however part of me believes it could be. With the lower thermostat housing gasket/RTV silicone mess gone and the thermostat not being broken/bent, it can't help but flow coolant more efficiently.

It also gives me some peace of mind knowing OEM items are going back in. There is a noticeable quality difference when looking at the water pump casting on the inside. The impeller blades are closer to the housing on the OEM and the overall fit and finish of the entire assembly seemed higher quality.

Also, I just want to point out something I did with my water pump replacement which was recommended on this site. I took the backing plate off my new pump and put a very thin layer of black RTV on the housing where the gasket seals and then on the gasket where the backing plate sandwiches the internal gasket. Thanks for the tip Mud Members!!!

If nothing else, it's good knowing the pump and t-stat are new in my search to find the cause of this issue.

Cheers,
Adam